Boot



P. BONELLI.

BOOT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I4| 1920.

Patented June 14, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BOOT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June, 14 192 Application filedAiigust' 14, 1920; Serial No. 403,497.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, 'PASQUALE mond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boots, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lace boots and my improvements are particularly directed to riding boots, hunting boots, or what may be enerally termed high top boots.

'therto lacing has not been employed as the fastening means for boots having high tops such as riding boots, because the labor involved in lacing and unlacing the full length of the upper is excessive. Also, while straps have been employed as the fastening means for top boots with divided uppers, the examples of such boots known to the art have not satisfied the requirement of a well fitting shape retaining, high boot structure.

Therefore, my improved high top, lace boot has adivided upper whose lower portion is united by lacing, and whose top portion is inclosed by a flap comprising an extension of one side of the boot upper, said flap having a series of strap fingers, to engage with buckles carried by other strap fingers, extending from a reinforce piece, that springs from a covering and securing rear vertical strip.

Hence the boot, which serves all the useful purposes of a high top boot, has the well fitting character provided by laced closure means, and is given a highly finished appearance by reason of its top closure flap, whose buckle fastening means which occur at the outer side so uniformly distribute the strains that no distortion of the boot upper portion can occur with the most prolonged usage.

Other features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved boot; and

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fi 1.

The illustrations forming part of this application show a high top boot having the usual vamp 1 and sole 2. The upper is formed of the two sides 3, 4, which meet at the back, where they are sewn together with a Vertical, covering strip 5. Forwardly, said upper sides are provided with lace engag- Bonnnia, a citizen of the United States, and-residentof Port Richmond, in-the-'cou'ntyof Richmg means such as are indicated at 6 with which a lace T is applied to draw said sides to ether.

lhe' lacing means'extend only" part way upthe boot, terminating at a point 8, where theside 3 is extended laterally in'the form of a flap 9, whose upper edge is conterminous with the terminal edge of the main upper. Said flap 9 is of capacity to fold over the front of the users leg, with its lower lower edge lying just above the top portion of the lacing, and said flap is provided at its end with a series of spaced fingers 10, in the form of straps, which are adapted to engage with buckles 11 that are carried by loops or straps 12 extending from a piece 13 which is sewn to the side 4, and whose rear edge is covered by the strip 5, to which it is also sewn.

The piece 13 is in the counterpart of flap 9, disposed upon the side 4 of the upper, horizontally opposite the side 3 from which flap 9 extends, and with its loops 12 is in symmetrical relation with the fingered portion of flap 9, at the outer side of the boot upper; the symmetry being obtained by causing the roots of fingers 10 and the roots of loops 12 to respectively merge as through the opposite curved intervening edges 14, 15.

Hence, in buckling the strap fingers 10 and loops 12 together, the strains created thereby are distributed uniformly, respectively, over the entire flap 9 and over the entire piece 13. Also, whereas the pull upon the flap 9 is communicated through the entire upper side 3 in the horizontal zone of said flap, to the rear of the upper, where the strip 5 provides the prime anchorage, so also the pull upon piece 13 includes in the same zone the upper side 4 to which said piece is attached, and is opposed to the pull upon flap 9 through said strip 5, which also overlays and is sewn to said piece 13.

A feature of usefulness inherentto the structure of my improved high top boot is that whereas the lower or laced portion of the upper may fit snugly and directly over the hose worn by the user, with the neat efi'ect thereby available by a well made, laced boot, the top portion of the boot, including the flap and the parts associated therewith in the same horizontal zone, may be caused to inclose and fold over the lower trouser portion, especially in the case where riding or military breeches are worn, said top portion, when buckled, affording a highly finished and well dressed appearance to the foot and leg wear. Or, due to the compact manner in which my improved boot fits, both as regards its laced portion and its buckled portion, it may be worn inside long trousers without any visible indication that it is other than an ordinary walking boot.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

I claim i a A high top boot having a divided upper whose lower portion is provided with lacing to bring together its parts with a snug fit, and whose top portion has at one side a strip of reinforcing'material secured thereto and extending from the back seam of the upper, said top portion atits other side being extended in the form of a flap to comprise a front covering above the lacing, said strip having extending, integral, spaced straps, sewn part-way of their length to the upper, and said flap having integral, spaced straps opposed to the straps extending from said strip, with mutually engagin means.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan in the city, county and Stateof New York this 13th day of August A. D. 1920. e

PASQUALE B ONELLI. 

